chrisharris

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $135.00 from Don't Remember

Summary:
I don't know why I decided to google this amp/Receiver. I've had it for over 10 years, and I actually use it pretty much daily. It has powered a set of JBL Decade Series speakers for the 10 year life of the amp. I mostly use it as an amp to power those speakers as monitors in my little home recording studio. I didn't buy it for that, but when I started recording 7 years ago, it's what I had, and I've never had a reason to upgrade.

I think the reason I decided to see what other people are saying about it is because I've been brutal to this amp, and it has lasted me a decade with no signs of slowing down. Out of 5, I'd give it a ten. I've also almost never turned the amp off in 10 years. I don't know if they still make them as well as this one was made, but I can't say enough good things about it.

To the reviewer who complains that he "can't blast it," lol...keep in mind...the amp is only half of the picture...if you're clipping your amp at "-30," it's probably the mismatched speakers, not the amp.

Strengths:
Workhorse...10 years without a single problem

Weaknesses:
I don't think the tuner is great...never used it much. Maybe it's an antenna problem on my end. I really don't care because I don't use it as a radio, but I'm trying to find a weakness here.

Price Paid:  $135.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
This piece of junk convinced me to never buy Pioneer again. The quality of the sound was great for the price BUT less than a year after it was purchased the transformer went out, four weeeks for repair. 14 months after that it breaks again, DC OUT error message on the LCD screen. Is it the transformer again? Who cares, 2 break downs in 25 months convinced me it was junk.

Strengths:
Great sound for the price

Weaknesses:
Low quality parts or design. Even in an entry level, low price item like this one you should reasonably expect 4 to 5 years of uninterrupted service. This one failed twice in 25 months.

Price Paid:  $130.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Like another reviewer, I purchased this receiver to hook up to my pc. In combination with my two Sony SS-MB105 bookshelf speakers, the sound I get is better and louder than nearly any computer speakers I've ever heard, and I've heard just about all of them (I work at a computer store). Anyways, as soon as I get the Sony 12" sub, I'm sure my sound will be even better than the Klipsch Pro-Media speakers. Whether I'm listening to music or playing games, the sound that I get kicks ass. I usually have it set on "live" since it gives a fuller sound. At the end of Hotel California, when the crowd cheers, it gets so loud, I nearly have to cover my ears. I've had no problems with overloading or whatever. I've turned it all the way up to 10 with no problems, except for some hissing. The remote is useless, all you can do is change volume. Other than that, this is a great little receiver.

Strengths:
Great Deal! Good sound for a low price.

Weaknesses:
Remote sucks, not for a real home theater.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I enjoy mostly listening to rap/hip-hop. I am very pleased with the amount of bass this reciever pumps out. I am purchasing a 120 watt KLH Subwoofer very soon. Although, price yields me from purchases I want, I am very pleased having this reciever. For its price, you have to admit, it's well worth buying if your looking for a cheap, but quality Pioneer Stereo Reciever. It has plenty of speaker outputs and a subwoofer output which will be very helpful for my purchase of a sub. Since loudness usually doesn't matter to me, I give it a high-rating excluding its channel outputs. If your looking for a cheap reciever, I recomend buying this. Pioneer equals quality at an affordable price.

Strengths:
Pumps out clean, loud bass and treble. A lot of channels with a satisfying look.

Weaknesses:
At 50 watts per channel, I usually put it to a maximum of -44 so I don't blow my ears out.

Similar Products Used:
Technics.

Price Paid:  $110.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I was looking for a cheap stereo receiver to hook up to my computer's sound card so I could listen to MP3 music on my computer without cringing every time a song played. My solution was the Pioneer VSX-108 Dolby Pro-Logic surround receiver for a steal at Best Buy. After play-testing a few receivers in this price-range, I decided to go with the Pioneer because of its better bass output compared with the others on the shelf. I have my monitor situated on a shelf and the receiver is nestled underneath the shelf with enough room for ventilation. The volume knob is large, easy to dial, and convenient. Also, the front headphone jack on the receiver is much appreciated by my fiance since the TV is in the same room as the computer. I can play games and music as loud as I want now (which used to be a real pain in the butt because everytime I wanted to switch from speakers to headphones, it required me to mess around in the back of the CPU and unhook the PC speakers and connect the headphones, switch the soundcard settings to headphones, etc., etc.) So, for my needs, this Pioneer receiver serves its purpose well. There's still room for expansion right now since I only have a single pair of speakers connected to it at the moment. I have not had a chance to mess around with its surround capabilities, but for a stereo receiver, this unit performs admirably considering the price.
The sources available for switching are as follows:
TV, CD, FM, AM, and VCR. Currently, I have my computer's sound card hooked up to the VCR input and a Technics CD player hooked up to the CD input. That leaves only one more set of inputs for another source (probably, I'll add a tape-deck) and that's about it for hook-up options which is fine.
There are four DSP modes: Stadium, Stage, Disco, and Live. Like most receivers, these DSP modes are just average and I usually have them turned off. Sonority and bass response is much improved with the Loudness button turned on and I usually have it on all the time.
Like most of Pioneer's products, there is an unobtrusive amber display which is nice since the receiver is meant to be out of the way visually for my needs.
With a pair of Optimus bookshelf speakers hooked up via 14-gauge speaker wire, the sound quality is markedly better than the Boston Acoustics PC speakers which originally came with the computer. The sound is more powerful and can play much louder. But as the dial reaches 30 or more, the sound begins to distort some and you can tell that this receiver is really working harder than it should to play loud.
The receiver is blessed with a subwoofer output and so if you require even more bass output, it shouldn't be a problem with this receiver.
I would not recommend this receiver for anything else except for use with a PC or to be used in a small bedroom or dorm for basic home theater needs. If you have a DVD player with built-in Dolby Digital decoding, this receiver would do okay, but it wouldn't be anything to brag about to your friends. The remote control has buttons to adjust the center and surround channels, but there is no subwoofer adjustment knobs or buttons available on either the remote or the receiver.
On the most part, this receiver is quiet, clear, and reproduces music and video game sound-effects faithfully. Though there is a very slight hiss from some sources. The build quality is good and sturdy and generally aesthetically pleasing. The spring-clip speaker connectors are decent and they hold the speaker wire firmly. I prefer 5-way binding posts, but the spring-clips do fine. This receiver would make a nice gift for Mom or Grandma, but for the more discernable audio enthusiast, I would definitely recommend something better. But again, for my needs, this unit functions well enough to merit a positive score.

Strengths:
Price, decent remote control, dolby pro-logic, subwoofer preout, decent construction, unobtrusive looks, good price to performance ratio.

Weaknesses:
At 50W per channel at 8 ohms, this receiver is not outfitted for loud playing. Poor AM/FM reception. Spring-clip speaker connectors (Personally prefer 5-way binding posts)

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, technics, sony